06/14/2017

Introduction to spiritual warfare –part 5

Col. 2:15 (ESV)He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.

Jesus disarmed the enemy. That is, He took the authority, the right to reign, from the enemy. But, He didn’t take away the enemy.

The enemy is still here

James 4:7Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

James wrote that we are to resist the devil. This scripture was written after Calvary, after the resurrection, and after Jesus had sat down on the right hand of the Father.

1 Pet. 5:8-9
8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:
9 Whom resist steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.

It doesn’t say that we should resist steadfast in the faith, because we have a flesh, although we need to deal with that too, but it tells us that we need to resist steadfast because of our enemy, the devil.

It would be pointless to resist someone who is already totally defeated. But what really happened was that Jesus “disarmed” the evil spiritual world. In other words; Jesus took the authority from the devil and his spirits, but they are still here and they influence this world “illegally”. It is our job to stop them!